The invention relates to techniques for management of a network, and more particularly to a technique for allocating limited capacity of such a network for utilization by multiple users in accordance with a pricing scheme.
It is common that users in a local area share use of a network to access a remote computer or server to realize different services, e.g., data transfer. Because the capacity or bandwidth of the network is usually limited, network management is oftentimes employed to allocate the limited network capacity among the users to realize such services. In obtaining the services, the users typically use their terminals which are connected to a source node of the network to access the server, which is connected to a destination node thereof. In a typical network, the source and destination nodes are connected by multiple links, which aggregately contribute the capacity which is required by the services.
In a prior art network management approach, the shares of the required capacity by the multiple links are determined based on a cost function. For example, the latter is a function of selected network performance objectives and quality of service (QOS) affordable to the users. The actual shares of the required capacity are determined by minimizing such a cost function.
We have recognized that the above-described prior art network management approach in which the cost function minimization dictates the actual shares of the required capacity by the links may not always be desirable, especially when a network provider wants to control such shares based on other criteria concerning, for example, maintaining a certain balance of communication load among the links, minimizing the overall congestion in the network, or reserving capacity of certain links.
The present invention is based on a notion that each service utilizing the links incurs an economic cost to the user requesting the service. That is, the user needs to pay for use of the links for the requested service. In accordance with the invention, the network provider is able to attain a pre-selected target operating point by assessing an appropriate cost to each user for his/her service. The target operating point defines the desired amount of capacity of each link for use. The cost is assessed based on a price which is a function of such a desired capacity amount of each link for use, and the total capacity amount of each link being used. To minimize the cost, each user most likely elects use of the capacity of those relatively inexpensive links to realize a service. Thus, in accordance with the invention, the aforementioned price is dispensed in such a way that it provides users with an incentive to utilize the links in a certain manner, thereby inducing an equilibrium of shares of the required capacity among the links, which coincides with the target operating point.